Tag: LARC

The state House has again voted for a measure aimed at increasing women’s access to birth control while saving the state money.

House Bill 1499 would let health care providers use a long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) for a patient other than the one to whom it was initially prescribed.

When a woman in Missouri chooses to have a LARC implanted her doctor must order that device and the woman must return for another office visit to have it implanted.  If the woman changes her mind before the second visit and doesn’t want the device, Missouri law doesn’t allow it to be used for another patient.  It must be returned to its manufacturer and often it is destroyed.

The sponsor of HB 1499, Representative Shamed Dogan (R-Ballwin), said because Medicaid pays for those devices, the passage of his bill would save the state money.

“The State of Missouri currently wastes hundreds of thousands of dollars every year as well as very expensive devices every year, and this bill will allow those devices to be reassigned which will save taxpayer money and will help to save women time and money with extra doctor’s visits,” said Dogan.

Dogan said in Fiscal Year 2017 about 1,800 LARCs were “abandoned” by patients in Missouri.  About 1,000 of those could have been used for other patients and that would’ve saved Missouri about $220-thousand.

The proposal has been sent to the Senate 133-10.  Last year it was passed as an amendment to other legislation, but was not passed in the Senate.

Earlier story:  

Backers say bill to allow reassignment of birth control devices would save money, increase access

Proponents say a bill in the Missouri House would expand access to birth control and save the state hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

House Bill 1499 would allow health care providers to use a long-acting contraceptive device for a patient other than the one for whom it was initially prescribed.

In Missouri when a woman goes to a health care provider and elects to use a long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC), her provider must order that device and implant it on a subsequent office visit.  Often women don’t return to have the device implanted, and Missouri law doesn’t allow that device to be used by another patient – it must be returned to its manufacturer and is often destroyed.

In Fiscal Year 2017 approximately 1,800 LARCs were so “abandoned” in Missouri.  About 1,100 of those could have been used in other patients, saving the state approximately $220-thousand dollars.

Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri, Alison Dreith, told the House Committee on Health and Mental Health Policy, “By redistributing the device two things can happen.  Money is saved.  LARC devices are very expensive and this allows for the product to be utilized which overall saves the state money; and due to having stock on their shelves that can be used for another MO Health Net patient, providers are able to insert the IUD or implant that same day rather than having to wait for the person to return.”

Bill sponsor Representative Shamed Dogan (R-Ballwin) said the issue is one of fiscal responsibility.

“We’re wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars on pretty expensive birth control devices when in any other case with a pharmacy, with a product that someone orders and they don’t pick it up, you can reassign that to another patient,” said Dogan.  “This bill just allows MOHealthNet to do that with these devices and it has the potential savings to the state of a quarter of a million dollars a year.”

The proposal was passed out of the House in 2017 as an amendment to other legislation but did not become law.  No one testified in opposition to it in the Committee’s hearing.

The committee has not voted on HB 1499.